


erica sinclair takes over the world

by deerie



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Asexual Character, Babysitting, Blackmail, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 16:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19890610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deerie/pseuds/deerie
Summary: “You have a car. Somehow, people trust you with their children,” she scoffs. She eyes him critically. “Do you know how many child endangerment laws you’ve broken?"“I don’t know what your case is,” Steve says slowly, “but I don’t think you’re helping it.”“Oh, no, I’m helping it alright,” Erica says, a sure smirk making its way across her face. “I’m not going to horse camp.”





	erica sinclair takes over the world

“Okay, _Baby-Sitters Club_ , listen up,” Erica says, hands on her hips. 

Steve squints at her and then over at Robin. Robin shrugs and goes back to shelving movies. 

“Are you talking to me?” He asks. 

Robin laughs behind him. “Ha! Good one. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

“What are you talking about?” Steve shoots back, obliviously. To Erica, he says, “What are _you_ talking about?”

“You,” Erica says, “are my ticket out of here.”

“I’m not following,” Steve says. 

Erica rolls her eyes. 

“You have a car. Somehow, people trust you with their children,” she scoffs. She eyes him critically. “Do you know how many child endangerment laws you’ve broken?"

“I don’t know what your case is,” Steve says slowly, “but I don’t think you’re helping it.”

“Oh, no, I’m helping it alright,” Erica says, a sure smirk making its way across her face. “I’m not going to horse camp.”

“You’re not a horse girl?” 

“Pfft. Do I look like a horse girl?”

Steve tries to picture it in his mind: Erica, atop a horse, galloping through a field. Nope, can’t do it. “You’re more of a take-over-the-world girl, I think.”

“Hell yes, I am,” Erica smiles at him sweetly, “and if I’m going to take over the world, I can’t be at horse camp.”

“Are you following this?” Steve asks Robin, leaning over the counter to look at her. “I’m not following this.”

Robin laughs at him.

Erica snaps her fingers in Steve’s face. “Eyes on me, pretty boy. If I’m not going to horse camp, I need someone to watch me.”

Erica holds up a finger before Steve can interrupt her.

“According to my mom, I need a _babysitter_ ,” she spits out the word like it offends her. “And guess what, Harrington? You fit the bill!”

“I already have a job,” Steve says. He gestures around the video store, his place of work. 

Erica laughs at him. “You seem to be under the delusion that I am asking you.”

Now, Steve -- he isn’t dumb, okay? Sure, he wasn’t the top of his class in school, but he’s got smarts in other areas. Areas like deciphering Russian code -- well, that had been mostly Robin, he guesses -- and figuring out that the secret code wasn’t transmitting from Russia but instead the Starcourt Mall. He can hold his own against a demodog and, apparently, a single Russian. He wrangles a gaggle of children on a regular basis and there are two tricks to that: being smart and never showing fear. Children can smell fear.

Erica looks like she delights in his fear. Also, Steve? Is still so confused about what is happening here. He feels dumb, even though he knows he isn’t.

“No, Steve,” Erica says, smiling like she’s trapped him right where she wants him. Kid’s a force to be reckoned with, damn. “I’m not asking. I’m blackmailing. Child endangerment, remember?”

Robin chokes behind them and trips into an aisle. Steve can’t tell if she’s laughing or trying to make an escape. Steve wishes he could make an escape. 

“Right,” Steve winces. In hindsight, asking a little kid to climb through the air ducts of the mall to unlock a storage room guarded by Russian security guards probably wasn’t the smartest idea. 

“My mom seems to be under the impression that you are an ‘upstanding young man,’” Erica continues. “I would hate to ruin that for her.”

Steve huffs and smacks his head against the counter. Ouch, that actually hurt, though, shit. He holds a hand up to his forehead and winces in actual pain this time. 

“I’m not quitting my job for this,” Steve says firmly.

Erica cocks her head. “I can work with that. Three days a week, you drive me wherever I want. My mom said she’ll give you ten bucks a day.”

Steve did some quick calculations in his head. Thirty extra bucks a week wouldn’t be bad. Plus, thirty bucks a week kind of soothes the sting of being blackmailed by a child. 

“Take the deal,” Robin hisses from somewhere between the aisles. 

“Fine,” Steve says. He crosses his arms. “Fine, you win.”

“I know,” Erica says smugly. “I’d shake your hand, but I know where those things have been.”

She leaves in a cloud of glitter and satisfaction, calling back over her shoulder, “My people will be in touch with your people.”

Robin slides up to the counter as soon as she’s gone. She leans in and puts on this kind of accent? Steve’s not really sure. “You talking to me?”

“I don’t know what we’re talking about anymore,” Steve says miserably. 

Robin continues her impersonation, “Well, I’m the only one here.”

Steve groans and rests his head against his arms on the counter. 

Robin pokes him in the head, accent thankfully gone, and says, “Seriously, you’ve never seen _Taxi Driver_? Do you live under a rock?”

“I’m starting to see the appeal of it,” Steve says.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. The first _Baby-Sitters Club_ book came out in 1986, which is vaguely when this story is set. Somehow, this entire fic hinges on this joke.  
> 2\. _Taxi Driver_ came out in 1976. I'm only mentioning this because it feels like all my greatest references start in the 1990s, which made this entire thing so freaking complicated. Do you know how much it sucks to come up with a great reference and find out that it's from 1995?  
> 3\. The only way Erica Sinclair would be a horse girl is if she also had a sword.  
> 4\. Robin is trying to escape.  
> 5\. While Erica Sinclair is _not_ a horse girl, she is definitely a Lisa Frank girl.  
> 6\. While this fic will have multiple chapters, please don't expect them on any sort of schedule. Second chapter is in the works, which is why I've tagged some things that don't show up in this chapter. I'm considering this my fun piece, so expect blatant disregarding of S3 canon. Everyone's alive, no one leaves, it's great. There's nothing sad at all.  
> 7\. I'm going to go hide in the woods now.  
> 8\. Please come follow me on Twitter [@afuturetime](http://www.twitter.com/afuturetime)!


End file.
